j050414 (imported)
April 14, 2005
It started on Saturday, when we were in Gatlinburg. My Claritin-D (over the counter now, yeah!) didn’t quite knock out the sneezing, stuffiness, and itchyness up in my nose. Looking around at the yellow pollen swirling in the street in great drifts, I thought I understood why.
I was wrong.
Sunday, I started feeling washed out at the end of the day, and the same on Monday and Tuesday. Felt great in the morning, but by three or four o’clock I was starting to tire out. Heck I even went hiking Monday afternoon, a good three-mile jaunt on Rainbow Mountain where I checked out a trail I’d never been on and found what looks to be a pit cave.
"It’s weird," I told anyone who’d listen over those days. "My Claritin doesn’t seem to be working, but other than being tired that’s it. I don’t feel bad at all."
And then, friends, then I woke up yesterday morning feeling already tired and washed out. Lifting weights, I had a hella time because my muscles were aching. Yeah, I’m a freak, and still did the whole workout. Just before work I checked my temperature.
100 degrees. Fuck.
You guys know me, know me well. I don’t get sick (except for that hepatitis thing three years ago, but that doesn’t count), not now, anyway. Years ago it seemed like I stayed sick but once I got into a semblance of good shape the sickies, they went away.
I went to work and sat in a fog of aches and pains, sneezes and coughs. It felt like I couldn’t catch my breath. My eyes burned, my nose begged to be cut off, sliced from my face in a glurt of snot, blood, and pressure relief.
Initially, I thought I had the flu. Should I make an appointment with Dr. Judy? The last time I had the flu, there was no cure, just some medicines that made it last not quite as long. Besides, flu season’s over, right? The more I discussed it with myself, the more I convinced myself it was probably an upper respiratory infection, and they have cures for that.
I made an appointment with Dr. Judy. My logic was thus: if it was the flu and I didn’t go, I’d get better eventually anyway, but if it wasn’t the flu and I didn’t go it would just get worse and worse.
I felt like hammered shit by noon, staggering around at work in a blurry fugue, and my appointment wasn’t until 2:50.
I posted on my forums and intimated I might, in fact, be dying.
I went to Dr. Judy’s a half-hour early on the off chance that they’d get me in earlier. Miracle of miracles, the waiting room was completely empty and they took me right back.
"Do you have a fever?" the nurse asked at the first station. I nodded, and when I stopped I had to wait for me rheumy eyes to catch up.
When she took it, my temperature had crossed the 102-degree mark.
"You do have a fever," the nurse said. I think I moaned, or maybe cried a little.
All the patient rooms were full so I had to wait in the lab waiting area. And then the nurse said the most horrible words possible in the situation.
"We need to do a flu test."
Have you ever had one of these? In essence, they take a q-tip roughly the length of a football field, wet it with some burning liquid, and jam it so far up your nose you can feel it in the back of your throat.
She handed me some tissues and did my left nostril. Tears squirted out of that eye from the pain, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of acting like it hurt. So she did the right nostril. The tears rolled.
Then she stuck it BACK into my left nostril a second time.
"It’s supposed to burn," she told me, swirling at my tonsils via my nostril. "I don’t know if I’ve gotten a good swab unless it burns."
"IT DOES!"
She gave me an I-think-you’re-just-telling-me-that-to-placate-me look, but she pulled the swab out of my nose and sent me back to wait for an empty room.
Guess who has the flu, after flu season’s already over? It’s like karma, for all the times I jokingly said, "I don’t need a flu shot, those’re for old people."
Dr. Judy prescribed Tamiflu, an antiviral that is supposed to stop the virus from replicating, thus making it not last quite so long. Not only do I get to take it, but so do Robyn and the spud, for prophylactic (hee!) reasons. Dr. Judy also prescribed Tussionex (aka, "the good stuff") for the cough I’m developing.
The medicine — 4 ounces of cough syrup and 20 pills — was $180.
I’m in the wrong line of work, obviously.
Anyway, that’s what’s going on with me. Mostly I’m sitting around and feeling dog-tired. Dr. Judy also told me to take 4 Advils every 6-8 hours to keep my fever down, and that’s helping a lot. Oh, and my chest hurts like hell from the coughing.
And I’m eating Double-Stuf Oreos, because comfort foods are allowed on non-Fridays when you’re sick.
That’s a law.
Not as impressed by the daddy’s flu as the daddy is
impressed by the freakishly large foot.
The flu sucks… I hope you feel better soon!
Feel better soon ‘kay?
I’m sorry you are feeling icky. Robyn and the spud will pamper you back to your healthy self. Milk it for all it’s worth
Enjoy those oreos for me since I cannot have them EVER due to hypoglycemia =(…….
Have Robyn go get you some Coke. Not diet, not flavored, good old fashioned coke. Drink with ice. Always makes me feel alot better! Hope you’re up and attem soon!
it must SUCK to have the flu so get better soon Fred! asap.
Sometimes you just have to give in and be sick! Take it easy and sleep a lot and let everyone wait on you hand and foot!!
Hope ya get better soon
The flu SUUUUUUUUCKS. I felt like I was dying the one & only time I had it, too. The cough IS definitely the worst part–mine persisted for 2 weeks after I started feeling “better.” Hope it blows over more quickly for you!
feel better soon. : )
That cough syrup is the best stuff ever. My doc prescribed me some when I had bronchitis/pneumonia a few years ago, and as much as I felt like I was near death, after I took that cough syrup I just did not care one bit.
Hope you feel better soon!
Oh, that blows. I was out with the flu for 7 days about a year and a half ago - and it was so god-awful that I remember it like yesterday! Hope you feel better really soon, and the meds kick in.
BTW: That IS a freakishly large foot! It scares me a little…
Jen
SO sorry you are sick. That Tamiflu is the BOMB! My husband did the exact same thing you did…thinking it was a cold etc…back in February. He finally went to the doctor to get something for the cough and they did the “up your nose” test. Indeed, he had the flu. They prescribed Tamiflu for him and my daughter and me. He got better fast within a day or two and we NEVER got the flu! Ironically, Fred, My husband had the flu shot in November!! SO, that flu shot is not always the answer either. The doc said the flu season started later and that the flu shot is only good about three months in your body. I think he may have had a milder case because of it….or that was the Tamiflu!!!! Anyway, enjoy those DOUBLESTUFFS..YUM….and feel better soon!!!!!
:) Kathy
Poor you. My sympathies. And when did you buy a jack-rabbit?
Rest up and feel better.
$180 for the medicine?! Good grief! We may moan about the National Health Service over here in the UK, but at least our prescription charges aren’t that steep! Get well soon Fred. Proper flu sucks (as oppose to the what a friend of mine calls “man flu” - ie a slight sniffle that entails taking to your bed and pestering partner/kids/anyone passing for hot drinks/books/magazines/pillows - the list is endless!)
Aw, poor Fred! Hope you’re feeling much better really soon!
Hope you feel better soon.
Feel better soon!
I got my flu shot, so while I’ve gotten bronchitis, I didn’t get the flu.
Hey Fred .. the $180 is just chump change at the tables, right??
Sounds like exactly how I was last month (for the entire Spring break no less). I don’t envy you at all! Hope you are feeling better soon!!!
I am on day #4 with no voice and a vile case of the flu. My doc gave me sample packs of drugs as he made me wait so long to see him that the pharmacy was closed (small town USA here.)
Ugh……..